Dolores Huerta by Gloria Steinem
Organizing in support of farmworkers was one of my first political endeavors. In the late 1960s, Marion Moses, then a nurse for farmworkers with no health care, landed on the East Coast to replicate successful West Coast organizing, boycotting grapes and other products picked by exploited workers. That’s why I ended up picketing in front of an A&P store in New York, and going to California to march and organize a press conference. Through this activism, I got to know Dolores Huerta, a fierce political organizer helping farmworkers around the country secure better pay and protections. That work made her a civil rights and labor icon.
In March, the New York Times reported that Dolores’ longtime colleague, labor leader Cesar Chavez, had sexually assaulted young girls, and also Dolores. In a statement, Dolores wrote: “I have encouraged people to always use their voice … My silence ends here.” We can all learn from the courage and conscience Dolores and others have modeled. The truth about Chavez reminds us to look honestly at the behavior of everyone, including our leaders, and to lend support to those who may be hurt by misused power. It is also a reminder that movements are made up of many people, not just one leader. If a leader fails us, we must say so if the movement is to go on. Dolores’ impact, like that of many other activists, will continue to guide us, regardless of the hurtful behavior of any one individual.
